


31 Days of Christmas (A Stucky Tale)

by frenchmeafry



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Excessive fluffyness, F/M, Fluff, I'm indulging myself, It's a lil more focused on Clint so far than Stucky oops, M/M, They're probably kind ooc oopsamaloops, also asgard doesnt have christmas i assumed that was correct, i know science wise it probably doesnt make sense but they can okay, i switch tenses bc im a shit writer, its kinda cute and fluffy and crack and dorky but it is not quality writing, its rlly unedited i am so sorry, steve and bucky can get sick okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-27 20:11:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 16,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2705045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenchmeafry/pseuds/frenchmeafry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back from a mission Clint Barton takes it upon himself to make Avengers tower the most christmassy place this holiday season with an activity for every day of the month that he just knows will get America's favorited star spangled superhero and his ex-assassin bff together under those twinkling christmas lights.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One: Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [idreamtofreality](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idreamtofreality/gifts).



> This is completely unedited at the moment I'll go back and fix it up a bit when I have the time but my only goal is getting the days out there right now

Day One

Tree

 

                  When it came down to it, Pepper was probably the only person in the tower who really should’ve seen the signs. Natasha and Clint were on some top-secret mission they couldn’t talk about (“Honeymoon? I smell a honeymoon. Just so you know I would’ve made a wonderful flower girl,” was what Tony had to say about it), Bruce and Tony hadn’t been seen for weeks and were only heard from when one of the others had the decency to make sure they got a random meal or where alright after a particularly loud noise from the basement science lab, and Steve and Bucky mostly stayed inside, Bucky too new to not being Hydra’s puppet to trust himself or the world, and Steve too Steve to leave his side anymore than he had to.

                  So they kind of had rock solid alibi’s for the month leading up to December. Pepper though had been in and out of the tower running Stark industries and never quite disclosed why she hadn’t woken them all up from their own little worlds to see the mistletoe.

                  Clint was a Christmas guy. Clint was all about snowball fights and hot chocolate and Christmas sweaters and sledding and making snowmen and any other Christmas activity possible. Natasha was the kind of person who pretended at first not to be a Christmas person but couldn’t stop grinning at the cheesiest Christmas movies and couldn’t help but get insane intense with snowball fights and would drag you to every Christmas event possible once you got to know that she was a Christmas girl at heart. Clint and Natasha arrived to Avengers tower early December first. Everyone had their own floor but there was a tendency of the world’s mightiest heroes to huddle together in the giant tower. Pepper, Bucky and Steve where together when Natasha and Clint got to the top floor, their unofficial meeting place.

                  Clint looked around. Clean everything. Tony insisted on trying to keep the tower clean, after throwing his socks at every corner in the place. Clean and Christmas-less. A deep frown settled on his face and his eyebrows creased. He walked to the window, not saying a word to the three that greeted him and Natasha, as Natasha settled on her favorite couch.

                  “I’m sorry,” he said turning to them, “But I’m deaf, not blind. And that. That is in fact Christmas lights, Christmas posters, Christmas decorations, and a general sense of Christmas cheer.”

                  “You can see the Christmas cheer?” Steve said because Steve Rogers is secretly an asshole. Clint sniffed and turned his nose up in the air dramatically.

                  “Yes,” He said making the one syllable sound all kinds of terrifying. Bucky smiled a tiny smile, half of his mouth upturned. Steve, having a Bucky sixth sense, turned to look at Bucky who sat beside him in adorable pajamas and smiled back, ready to take the smile for his own even before Bucky met his eyes and gave it to him willingly. “Oh my gods stop the moon eyes I just want to experience the Christmas beauty.”

                  “Oh but Clint they are the Christmas beauty, Clint,” Natasha said. Clint looked about to pretest but then his eyes did a sort of crazy glee look.

                  “You’re right,” he said getting that dangerous look in his eye that had once gotten Steve Rogers arrested for public indecency, “You’re right,” he repeated, “Say is it too early to get up my good friends Tony Stark and Bruce Banner?”

                  “They’re sleeping,” Pepper said looking at her phone.

                  “Only because you drugged them,” Bucky muttered.

                  “Only because you helped me,” Pepper shot back.

                  “You did what?” Steve gaped.

                  “Don’t pretend the idea of nocking Stark out doesn’t appeal to you,” Bucky said. Steve opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. When Bucky and Pepper had even been together without him long enough to hatch this plan and execute it he didn’t know.

                  “Barton, I know you’re like kookoo for Christmas but you’re probably going to pass out and nock your head on a table or something if you stay up any longer,” Natasha said in her dry cold tone that no one in the tower still believed for one second

                  “Coffee?” Clint suggested brightly.

                  “That’s what you said yesterday morning,” Natasha said.

                  “But Tashaaaaa,” Clint protested as he went willingly back down the stairs with her.

                  “I think we just got volunteered for a Christmas activity packed month,” Pepper said watching them go and then turning to Bucky and Steve with careful eyes.

                  “What do you think Bucky? Want to join in the festivities?” There was hope in Steve’s eyes that he was trying to hide but damn it if he isn’t a hopeless actor.

                  “I like Christmas, I think,” Bucky nodded. He looked uneasy but he wasn’t in the business of denying Steve things he didn’t have to. Pepper left the room quietly and not even Bucky, the ex-assassin, noticed that she was gone until a movie of an inch away from Steve and then he drowsily looked around and wondered where Pepper had gone to before, in his tired state, closing the slight distance that separated them and falling asleep.

 

                  “NO. Tree,” Clint said firmly as a disgruntled looking Bruce and Tony walked in the room eyeing everyone and everything with suspicion.

                  “It was Bucky and Pepper and god damn it Clint there’s no way that the first day of December is when you’re supposed to get the tree,” Natasha said.

                  “But you have to have the tree to like. Start putting the presents under and it’s the center of the decorations and so the tree must come first and December first is hey would you look at that it’s the first of December which STARTS CHRISTMAS.”

                  “How long were we asleep? Since when are you two back? Is it December? What is going on?” Tony is one of those people who is even more frantic and confused after sleeping than before sleeping.

                  “Would you tell Natasha that Christmas tree is clearly the right way to start of December, like what do you even want to do. Sit in by the fire, drink cocoa and watch a Christmas movie? Because that sounds amazing-“

                  “See?”

                  “But. It is not the first thing you do at Christmas.”

                  “Listen, Barton, I can snap you in two so fast…”

                  “Ooh I’m real scared. Bring it, Romanoff.” Clint and Natasha got up, no doubt about to find a way to settle this but someone else settled it for them.

                  “I’d like to get a tree,” Bucky interjected. Clint and Natasha looked away from each other and to Bucky who looked a little frightened.

                  “Fine,” Natasha said. Clint looked smug and grabbed a stack of pancakes, delightedly stuffing whole ones down his throat. They were shaped like snowmen and Christmas trees.

                 

 

                  “I haven’t been outside since…” Bucky trailed off and looked out the door uneasily at the two large trucks parked outside and waiting for them. Steve put a reassuring hand on Bucky’s non- prosthetic arm. A couple weeks ago Bucky had been reminded of one of the people working for Hydra and would have killed the man if Steve hadn’t jumped in, and then he nearly strangled Steve. It was neither of their favorite memories, and even though Steve felt Bucky should start going out more again he had refused until the mention of Christmas. They all made their way to the cars and then hesitated.

                  “You’ll be okay, Bucky,” Steve said softly so the others couldn’t hear.

                  “All right, Stevie,” Bucky said teasingly. He still looked a bit green in the face.

                  “Okay so who wants to ride with Clint and who wants to ride with Tony?” Bruce said grinning.

                  “Are those really my only options?” A voice said from their left and they turned to see the Falcon lounging on the side of the building.

                  “That has got to be cold,” Tony said.

                  “You guys didn’t really think you’d be picking out a tree without me? I may be living in D.C still but a hurricane couldn’t keep me away from this supernatural disaster waiting to happen,” Sam said refusing to acknowledge Tony’s quip about his lounging choices.

                  “I’ve missed running circles around you,” Steve said stepping forward to embrace Sam. Sam had gone back to his old life in D.C the instant they brought Bucky in, and nothing Steve had said could make him stay with them. “How did you even…” Clint held up his phone in a well duh it was me manner. “Right,” Steve said.

                  “I can drive one and take you and Bucky and…” Sam looked around at the others gathered there, each daring him to not pick them. “Someone else,” he added hastily.

                  “I’ll go with the grandfathers,” Natasha said quickly. The car full of disaster turned out to be full of sleeping superheroes when they finally arrived at the tree farm.

 

                  “No, no, no, you’re doing it all wrong,” Clint said whacking angrily like a small child at Tony’s hands.

                  “What, Bird brains? What? IS this one TOO BIG FOR YOU?” They had been walking for hours and everyone was slowly getting less and less excited about the plan. Some of them were at the point where any tree, dead alive, Douglas fur walnut maple whatever, would be just fine with them. Some of them (Tony, Clint) wanted the branches to speak to them, the height to be perfect, it to incite wonder in the hearts of people everywhere…. And they were having a hard time coming up with that tree.

                  “Of course it isn’t too big,” Clint scoffed, “It’s too dark.”

                  “That’s racist,” Natasha muttered. Sam opened his mouth to try and make sense of their child logic and then threw his hands up and sat down, dead in the soggy wet mess of the forest. At this point he wasn’t sure these trees were even for sale.

                  “It looks like it’s going to start raining,” Steve remarked dryly, looking up at the clouds that were taking a very stormy look above them.

                  “What, is your hip hurting you?” Natasha grinned down at him. She had stopped paying any sort of attention to the trees and was filing her nails. Apparently assassins must always look their best. Unless they were Hydra trained assassins, she had grinned at Bucky, then they can look like a six graders first brush with liquid eyeliner.

                  “You know I’m in better shape than you,” Steve said semi bitterly.

                  “Only because your form of flirting includes running laps around them,” Natasha said. To Steve’s left Bucky looked away from Steve and made direct eye contact with the ground. To Steve’s right Sam winked at Steve. Natasha observed Bucky’s staring contest with the ground.

                  “Oh my god, FINE, whatever you want, YOU PRINCESS.” And their attention was drawn back to the two who still cared about what damn tree they got.

                  “Good, I saw one a couple miles back that was just beautiful,” Clint said turning and marching happily through the muddy terrain.

                  “Why did I tag along,” Pepper said slowly making her way after them.

                  “I came all the way from D.C for this,” Sam said siddling up by her and linking arms.

                  “You poor thing,” Pepper said.

 

It had been getting light when they left (which had given Clint about three hours of sleep, not that he wasn’t used to it) and it was getting dark when they finally got back. Of course no one had been able to decide on who got to cut down the tree, until Pepper thoughtfully pointed out that they tree they were getting was kind of ginormous, and kind of dangerous for any of them to cut down, and Sam and Bruce had nodded behind her enthusiastically, and so Tony had to, in the end, call some people to come help the Avengers get the damn tree, and then get the damn tree up to the stop level of Avengers tower.

“So what are we doing tomorrow?” Bucky asked and they all groaned except for Clint who’s smile got, if this was possible, wider.

“Decorations, my dear boy, decorations.” There was no mistaking the happy tears in his voice.

“You’re a weirdo,” Tony said, ever the height of maturity.

 

 


	2. Decorations

Day Two

Decorations

 

“So I’ve been thinking about what you should give Bucky for Christmas,” Clint said.

“Of course you have,” Steve interjected.

“And I think we should wrap you up in a bow and put you under the Christmas tree, then we can send Bucky in first because no one else wants to see you naked, you guys can do it, and then walla we’ll open our presents,” Clint finished.

“Well, I’m not sure he’s the only one who wouldn’t mind seeing Captain America naked,” Natasha said with an eyebrow wiggle that Sam, standing across from her, returned.

“Gross,” Clint said. “You can probably get cooties from seeing people naked,” he added.

“Yes,” Sam said, “That seems terribly likely.” Just then Bucky, having quite the love of sleep and absolutely refusing to get up two days in a row before noon, entered the room, blanket draped across half of his body, too lazy to sling it all the way on, and mug of coco in hand.

“I told Jarvis I wanted coffee,” he said an adorable tired grumpiness oozing from his every pore.

“It would seem Mr. Barton thought it a good idea to replace all of the normal hot drink beverages with coco, I’m terribly sorry Mr. Barnes,” Jarvis said from wherever Jarvis says things from.

“If you touched my tea,” Natasha started.

“Your tea’s safe. I’m not suicidal,” Clint was quick to assure her.

“Are you really depriving yourself of coffee _just in the name of Christmas spirit_ ,” Bucky hissed, sitting down and pulling his blanket completely over himself.

“Yes,” Clint said cheerily, “the Christmas spirit is caffienator enough.” This was really saying something as every other month of the year Clint absolutely lived on caffeine. “Now, shall we get to decorating or what?”

 

The first step to decorating is, obviously, getting all of the boxes upon boxes of Christmas decorations that you have managed to stock up on.

                  “No,” Bucky said.

“I’m with Bucky,” Steve said.

“I’m also with Bucky?” Natasha tried and the others (except Pepper who had gone to do something for Stark Industries and bets where up whether it was an actual job or an excuse to not get out Christmas decorations) nodded in agreement.

“Ha. Right. Come on, losers.” No one even bothered to argue. Bucky and Steve stayed upstairs.

“It’s a nice tree,” Bucky said quietly.

“Yes, it is,” Steve agreed awkwardly. It was thick and had the sort of branches that kind of look like they’re melting into each other, and it was neither particularly light green or dark green, it looked sturdy and fun. Later Clint would show them the wide variation of Christmas trees he had had in the past and they wouldn’t thin anymore that he was such a perfectionist, only that he was very odd and waited for one to tug at his heart strings, which was exactly what he did. A goof tree, he had picked this year.

“We used to put popcorn on our trees right? When we had them?” Bucky said, unsure. He was almost always unsure when he remembered something. He had heard of people who had dreams about their past, when they lost their memories or went through tragedy, and was blessed with dreamless sleep. And yet sometimes, when Steve mentioned something, and he couldn’t remember…

“Yeah,” Steve said eagerly leaning towards Bucky, “yeah we did. Maybe Clint will let us put popcorn on this giant monster, huh, Buck? Like old times?” They had recognized that they were loved enough, and Bucky was struggling enough, to get just about anything they wanted from the other Avengers. As in Tony Stark had abandoned a science project to go grab them a very specific type of ice cream they had never tried that was made on a small farm in Indiana. Although that might have been more Tony being a weirdo than his love of Steve and Bucky.

“I think I remember you being sick on Christmas… but you never wanted to delay anything.” Bucky frowned. “You got sick a lot.”

“Hey, I’m good as new now, right?” Steve says, desperate to get them back to popcorn memories, away from Steve hacking up a lung with Bucky by his side, looking lost and sad and desperate to fix the smaller boy.

“Fresh off the ice,” Bucky says, smiling a little bit. Their weird, quiet togetherness is disrupted by the clomping of Avengers.

“If I had known,” Tony sniffs from behind a giant box, “that this would be my life I would have build a bunch of robots or something.”

“You have to carry it,” Clint says as if its obvious, “It’s tradition.”

“Can we put popcorn on the tree?” Steve asks eagerly, looking to Clint.

“It’s not like it’s not tradition. I mean, we’ve been alive long enough to know,” Bucky points out sneakily.

“I suppose,” Clint says, as if he’s doing them some sort of favor. Natasha rolls her eyes from behind them, holding up a giant bag of popcorn.

“He figured we’d give some sort of job to the elderly, to pass their last days,” Natasha says dramatically.

“For the last time,” Steve says, “We aren’t dying.” Natasha just kind of hums.

 

It takes them a good hour to scrounge up every box of Christmas decorations Clint has managed to stick in the tower.

“How did these even get in here?” Tony says in wonder looking at the sea of boxes surrounding them all.

“You’re hilariously unobservant, Stark,” Clint says. “So as you can see, they are labeled. Christmas tree ornaments, lights, set ups, nut crackers et cetera et cetera. You are all allowed and encouraged to have an input, however, I may over rule any decision.”

“Does he know I know this building?” Tony mutters.

“So go ahead and insist that blah blah should go in place A and not place B but I’m like, ten thousand percent sure you’ll be wrong, k?”

 

For the most part, Clint is okay with where they decide to put things. He reluctantly admits that Tony isn’t too bad at this all the time, and Natasha actually kind of has an eye for it. Steve moves Clint’s perfectly placed things around when he isn’t looking, which makes Bucky do a sort of strangled girlish giggle that delights all of them so much they cant even find it in their asshole hearts to make fun of him for it.

Clint’s decorations are pretty cute, all puppies in Santa hats and adorable penguins, elf hats, and what not. Natasha has her own collection of adorable yet menacing animals, a kitten with a cross bow and so on. There are also ninety nine nut crackers scattered around, and all of this is just in Avengers tower top level, something Pepper is quick to point out.

“Don’t worry,” Clint replies, “I’ve hired some people to make the rest of the tower festive. I’ll put finishing touches on all throughout December.” Tony doesn’t bother to ask how he got them in.

 

When it’s done it looks like a miracle. Like that scene in Elf where Buddy turns the whole store into an amazing Christmas wonderland. There is a lot of decoration, but it somehow manages to look uncluttered, and the ornaments stay on the tree easily, spread apart evenly, and somehow all manage to match each other. It blends well and the whole room is illuminated by Christmas lights.

“Wouldn’t you have hated beginning Christmas without the Christmas look? Look at how beautiful it all is,” Clint says gesturing happily. Everyone is tired, even earths mightiest heroes are exhausted after decorating (more so, it seems than from defending  New York from aliens) but they nod silently, happily. Steve and Bucky sit shoulder to shoulder and stare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Gingerbread Houses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there may be a few tense switches that i didnt get rid of also it's not as long sorrrrrrry

Day Three

Ginger Bread Houses

Bucky and Steve slept up in the newly decorated Christmas haven that night. Everyone else went to their floors, which had a slight touch of Christmas from the mysterious elves Clint had hired, but Bucky and Steve fell asleep like the properly old people they are. Neither of them fell asleep easily without the other one there, sure the furniture in Avenger’s tower was kind of way too comfortable for them to be comfortable, but when the other was there… And neither of them wanted to tell the other to stay, that they didn’t have to go to their separate bed, so at least every other night they stayed up until one of them fell asleep, so the other may say that they had gotten too tired to leave.

So that’s how they were found the next morning, December third, when the rest of the Avengers made their slow way to the top floor. Clint was carrying about eight bags soon to revealed as full of candy, Natasha trailing behind him equally weighed down by grocery bags. Tony and Bruce had gone out for coffee (because Jarvis had not been joking, Clint really had found every hot beverage besides Natasha’s tea and gotten rid of it) so were holding Starbuck’s coffee cups that Tony kept regarding suspiciously (seriously it’s just coffee and it’s the closest coffee shop and just shut up and drink it, had been something of what Bruce told him, too tired to turn on his more polite personality). Sam and Pepper entered together looking miles more put together than anyone else.

“So,” Pepper says gesturing to the bags.

“Ginger bread houses,” Natasha answers  beginning to unpack.

“They’re an art form,” Clint says without a trace of humor in his voice.

 

 

“You are allowed to get messy in art, aren’t you?” Natasha said. The scene was something like this; Enough gingerbread to make a small city, possibly enough jellybeans to drown a small child (technically all you have to cover is the nose and the mouth, Bruce helpfully pointed out when Tony remarked on the child drowning abilities of their jellybean supply), frosting so delicious and perfect Bucky had a bowl, slightly given up on his tragic house, and was shoveling it into his mouth. Chocolate smeared all over fingertips, whip cream in the hair and a very distraught Clint trying to save it all.

“Really? I had more faith than this. Than this,” Clint points at a bowl of homemade chocolate syrup tipped over the couch, “Or than this,” a house sits by Sam, the walls leaning in on eachother and the frosting falling of, “But especially than this,” He finishes pointing at what Steve has artfully been adding to during the past hour, just a pile of candy. Chocolate bars of ever kind on jelly candy of every with all the syrups they have drizzled all over, gingerbread sprinkled on top. It’s a disaster and there is no order to it, though if you were to watch the careful way Steve adds each piece on you might think there was.

“Don’t listen to him,” Bucky says waving his arm dismissively. “It’s beautiful.” An assorted blob of candy slowly falls from the top of the pile to the bottom, everyone’s eyes following it interestedly.

“Just show us what you made, Clint,” Natasha sighs, gracefully scooping whipped cream in her hand like a handful of chips and attempting to put it all in her mouth at once. Most of it ends up on the floor (Tony had given up quite quickly on trying to keep his beautiful kitchen clean).

“You wont appreciate it like you should.”

“Nope,” Bucky says smiling a little, still not having taken his eyes off of Steve and the candy mountain creation taking place.

“FINE, gah, what am I going to do with you people…” Clint moves to behind the counter where he had been working on his in secret muttering about the ungrateful grinches he lives with loudly. He doesn’t pick up his gingerbread house because his gingerbread house is gingerbread houses and it makes a lovely small village like place on top of a platform no one knew he had so he kind of scoots it along the floor.

And it is, of course, completely amazing. No one in their right mind would deny the way he has small candy strings like lights, a candy tree in the middle, marshmellow smowmen here and there, the doors have knobs, the roof tiling.

“I like Steve’s better,” Bucky says grabbing a handful of candy off the mentioned and stuffing it in his face. “I don’t care for some of his ingredients, but something about it just got me.” Bucky is not usually in a mood to be a little shit, but they are all glad to have him when he is. Except in this instant Clint, who doesn’t shut up for the rest of the day about the ungrateful brats that have infected the tower. Eventually, everyone does get one built, sometimes with Clint guiding their hands so the structures don’t fall down. He lets Steve and Bucky help each other though, and truly terrible gingerbread houses they do make but they make them with hands all over eachother and louder laughs than any of them have heard from either Steve or Bucky before. Not small chuckles or sarcastic laughs, but laughing good and free like they belong their. Everyone (except Clint) agrees they made the best gingerbread houses. Steve rolls his eyes and Bucky’s forehead does a creased together in confusion thing. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late ahhh i was sick yesterday and didnt have it in me. also going to be uploading todays in a few, it's not going to be long at all sorrrrrrry.

Day Four

Ice Skating

 

“It’s not romantic enough,” Clint whines shoveling yet more ice cream into his mouth. Natasha sighs, flipping through the literal binder of Christmas ideas and plans and recipes Clint has.

“Snow ball fights fight for my existence,” Natasha says but turns another page. They’ve been over this since they got up this morning, when Clint realized that he wanted something perfect for this day and not just any willy nilly Christmas idea that comes to mind which he seemed to think they were all accusing him of. Needless to say they weren’t.

“Clint.”

“We’ll never find what we’re looking for.”

“Clint.”

“We’re doomed Natasha, doomed before it has even begun. We will never get to grow old and tell  their grandchildren of the wonderful ideas that lead their gaympa’s to admitting their life long love for one another.”

“Clint, how do you not have ice skating?” Clint visibly perks up, slumped posture becoming straight and excited.

“Ice skating. ICE SKATING. NATASHA YOU ARE A GENIUS.”

 

 

Ice skating is, of course, a night time activity so the Avengers and co had the rest of the day to do as they pleased. Bucky and Steve for instance, were doing that strange thing of recently defrosted (okay not too recently anymore in Caps case and really Bucky was consistently defrosted but that is so not the point) people and doing not much of anything. For a while Steve had always needed to be busy, keeping his mind of his best friend who wasn’t around to share any of this with him, so he’d gone through sketchbook after sketchbook (never of Bucky though his hands constantly twitched to draw the ever familiar curves of Bucky that he knew so well, perhaps too well), punching bag after punching bag, learned any and every thing he could to be slightly less out of the loop but now. Now Bucky didn’t remember everything, he was around for it but he would just kind of shrug and perse his lips when they asked him if he remembered something. They’d stopped asking him after a few times, especially with the looks Steve gave them.

So they weren’t doing anything, and it was wonderful. They were on Steve’s floor and there was a game playing, what game neither of them could probably tell you (“Of course I remember,” Bucky would scoff and then blatantly lie and Steve would shrug and smile and agree with Bucky. Lovesick idiot). But Steve, Steve wanted to do something. His fingers were itching to hold a pencil between them and Bucky, well Bucky was hardly moving, staring more out the window and ocassionally smiling, or frowning and Steve wanted to ask what for, wanted to know what all of them were for, but he dared not break Bucky’s, whatever Bucky was in to make his face so expressive. Perhaps it’s the extreme Christmas cheer threatening to swallow them from every corner of the room. Clint had come to theirs personally to sneer at the emptiness before the decorations but neither Bucky nor Steve cared, because the other was there.

Steve glanced at his sketchbook and pencil case, both sitting ominously on the table in front of them, daring Steve to grab them. To Bucky, to the sketchbook, back to Bucky.

“Just grab the stupid pencils, Stevie,” Bucky says amusement and fondness evident in his voice. Steve blushes and lunges for them with no element of grace. When Clint arrives to take them ice skating later, Steve has several beautiful pages of Bucky done and the room has a silence in it that makes Clint shiver.

 

“So ground rules,” Clint says once he has gotten all but Steve and Bucky together. There’s the general disgruntled wave of words from all of them but none really fight him on this. The rules end up being simple, no crowding the couple, pictures only when they aren’t looking (“Because we would be the ones to crowd them,” Sam had snorted being much cooler than any of the Avengers combined), definitely try to make them competitive by showing of your skills (Tony went red faced at this, and everyone eyed the two of them suspiciously except Pepper who grinned evilly) and a few more like that.

 

The skating rink was completely empty except for them. It was an outside rink, so people walked past and muttered about that being the Avengers but no one really tried to bother them.

Predictably, Steve, with all of his training and powers, was absolutely hopeless at ice skating. That, Clint thought, was what made this idea so brilliant. That and he’d convinced them (without very much of an argument at all) that holding hands made it easier. This was, of course, in Clint’s actual opinion completely wrong but why would he tell them that? It was much more fun watching them slip and fall all over each other.

Bucky liked the ice. He didn’t expect to, the winter soldier and all of that made frozen things just seem a hell of a lot less great to him, but once he started to get it, it made him feel peace. It was corny and he never wanted to admit it to another soul but, it was so smooth. You could just… glide.

Steve didn’t even get one good glide in. He wailed for Bucky to come help him and fell on his ass more times than he’d quite like to count (69, Clint informed them later with glee, actually 69 times. Not only is that a lot but it’s a ‘wiggles eyebrows ‘ number).

It didn’t take them long to get bored, Bucky didn’t want to leave, but after about an hour the others had had quite enough skating around in the same circle. As they were leaving Tony spotted the distraught look on Bucky’s face before he made it perfectly content again and muttered to him that this wouldn’t be the last time he went ice skating with a sheepish smile. Bucky liked Tony Stark more in that moment than he ever had before.

 


	5. Skiing is not an Avengers activity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like literally a paragraph i'm sorry i'm very tired i promise this is the only chapter that will be this small. i hope.

Day Five

Skiing

 

Skiing was a disaster. They were never to mention skiing ever again. Most of them were bruised and embarassed (Save Natasha and Pepper who watched the guys crumble and fall and moan about missing science with confused and slightly worried looks on there faces).

“Ready for snowboarding?” Clint, holding an ice pack to his bruised face (Natasha had had to tell him not to use a frozen pole because of like, getting stuck) said, trying, and completely failing to sound into the idea.

“Maybe winter sports are a no?”

“Okay, but there will be a snowball fight and sledding so help me god,” Natasha didn’t bother to finish her threat.

“SLEDDING,” Clint said, at once back to excitement.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Day Six

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride

 

Clint was upset that he hadn’t quite thought this through. All day they had been waiting, eagerly, dying in anticipation, for the next great Christmas adventure to be revealed and all he had failed them. Tony and Bruce and Natasha and Sam and Pepper he had failed.

Because when one orders a horse drawn carriage, apparently, it is implied that they are ordering only one (duh) and that that horse drawn carriage will comfortably sit only two people.

“Clint, seriously, it’s fine,” Natasha tries to assure Clint, because at first it had been funny that he was so freaked out that there was only one, two person carriage, but at this point it’s a little sad.

“But what will the rest of us doooo,” Clint says, pure anguish written comically across his face. Natasha rolls her eyes, but doesn’t let him see her do so. Not that he’d notice.

“I don’t get why we have to be the ones to go,” Bucky mutters, eyeing the horses suspiciously. They all ignore him and gesture for them to get in.

“Oh it’ll be just grand,” Tony says gleefully watching Bucky who hasn’t taken his eyes off the horses since Clint dragged them to this central park horse drawn carriage ride in the snow.

“We can go to one of the million coffee shops. Coffee is warm, and comforting, and warm, and caffeinated, and delicious. Coffee,” Bruce says, eyeing the surrounding shops with the extreme lust of someone who has had to live with Clint’s crazy refusal of coffee in December. The magic of Christmas must have given him some supernatural abilities because normally he was virtually ran on caffeine to the point Natasha was silently worried about him. And sometimes, if he had been up for more than 48 hours on coffee alone, not so silently worried (“Awww, Natasha loves meeee,” he would shout with glee and she would probably smear whatever food they were eating in his face or something else as equally childish, if they were alone).

“FINE. But I will be getting a hot chocolate. Like a normal person during Christmas time, like a good person, like a person who SHOULDN’T be ASHAMED to be seen,” Clint says, his usual air of dramatics all around him.

“Are you guys going to get in the carriage or what?” The woman holding the reigns says, Texan accent in her voice, but she doesn’t look annoyed. She grins over at Natasha specifically. “Ms. Romanov, if you don’t mind, I’m a big fan,” she adds looking somewhat star struck.

“Thank you,” Natasha says simply, looking to Steve and Bucky and gesturing up.

“Horses are weird,” Bucky says from under his layers, eyes really the only thing visible, but he gets on and Steve follows him.

 

 

“I wonder how it’s going,” Clint says, staring out the coffee shop window to gaze at the park, even though Steve and Bucky aren’t anywhere near visible anymore. “I still can’t believe you betrayed my Christmas spirit. I expected more of you,” Clint sniffs, eyeing their coffees angrily.

“Excuse you,” Natasha says, “This is an eggnog latte. EGGNOT, CLINT.” Clint’s face falls and he looks at his delicious hot cocoa, and then at the eggnog latte.

“I never,” Clint stops in the middle of his sentence, “I never considered eggnog lattes.” Tony groans and puts his head in his hands. Bruce just kind of purses his lips and shakes his head.

“Oh my god,” Sam says, who really didn’t now what he was getting himself into when he decided to become friends with the Captain America’s team mates.

 

 

“This is… Nice,” Bucky says not looking at Steve but still at the huge, gorgeous white horses pulling the carriage. Steve snorts.

“You never liked horses, Buck,” He says, turning so that he isn’t facing any of the wonderland around them but instead just Bucky, who until this point in the ride, about halfway through it the nice lady named Chris had told them, had just been eyeing the horses, but now turns cautiously towards Steve.

“I like you,” Bucky says quickly and defensively, and then he’s glad to have the hat and scarf wrapped around most of his face, because he blushes at the extreme honesty of his response.

“I like you too, Buck,” Steve says much more amused and less serious than Bucky. Bucky stares at the carriage floor for the rest of the ride, and they pretend they’re elated by the ride. But Clint can tell and he is just as fakely smiling as the two of them.

 

“We haven’t really talked,” Clint says plopping down next to Bucky, who is alone in his apartment and doing nothing but pretending like he’s reading some technology magazine Tony has laying in here for some reason.

“Gee, I wonder why,” Bucky mutters not looking up.

“You just got here, Steve is the only thing that makes you happy, and you still have terrible flashbacks and I’m a loon,” Clint says easily waving his hand dismissively as he always does.

“Well, yes,” Bucky looks somewhat surprised. He still thinks he’s a special little snowflake, heh, snowflake.

“What happened? Horse drawn carriages are romantic man. Why do the ice bros seem frozen?” Clint says, unable to help himself.

“I don’t really want to discuss this with you,” Bucky says trying for cold but just coming off a little desperate and sad.

“You’re in love with him right? And he underreacted to something you said? And now you’re sad.” Bucky sighs and rolls his eyes but refuses to meet Clint’s.

“Yes,” He says finally. “I suppose I’ve forgotten how to be subtle. It’s like I’m newly human again. Part baby or something,” He says and laughs, but there no genuine amusement.

“Don’t worry, Bucky, it’s all going to be okay.” Bucky doesn’t know why, but he believes the strange man in the reindeer pajamas.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry im a completely awful human being and havent updated the last like, six days. I'm trying to get it done before tomorrow but dont get your hopes up to high. Also, this chapter is depressingly short. Like. A paragraph basically. so sorry.

Day Seven

Christmas Sweaters

 

“How, Clint, have we gotten this far and not stuffed those old Grandpa’s into Christmas sweaters? Do you know the kind of genius that is. I could probably get Fury to create an Avengers twitter just to post a picture of it,” Natasha says looking up from her knitting.

“You’re completely awful at that,” Clint says, from behind his own perfect project.

“I know,” Natasha says happily, “Doesn’t it look completely hideous? I love it. I don’t ever want to be good at it.”

“You’re a fucking weirdo.”

“Says the weirdo.”

“You’re a weirder weirdo.”

“You’re the weirdest weirdo.”

“Fuck.”

“Winning is something I am good at.”

“I had ideas for today, you know. Brilliant ideas.”

“Not as good as going to various stores and making Steve and Bucky try on every single Christmas sweater they sell though.”

“No,” Clint sighs, “Not quite as good as that.”

 

It takes Steve and Bucky seven hours being pulled in and out of various stores to absolutely refuse to see if there is “Just one more sweater come on there’s no blah blah on any of yours.” Natasha hypothesizes later to Clint that their willingness to keep trying them on for so long came with the realization that every person looks a million times cuter in a Christmas sweater, but especially the person you’ve been in love with for like, your entire life. Quietly in their own heads, Bucky and Steve agree.


	8. Day Eight: Giant Snowman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly longer than seven, still kind of pathetically short. sorrrrryyyyyyyy. I'm trying to get through these and caught up i got so behind. Hope ya like :)

Day Eight

Giant Snowman

“I dreamed a dream of a giant snowman,” Bucky says, hideous Rudolph nose flashing on his sweater. Bucky doesn’t actually know why the sentence structure of that is funny but he seems appreciative of the laugh it gets out of Steve (who knows because he has made it his god honest mission to know every sing thing that happened since he went under including the unimportant stuff and the stuff that technically existed before but wasn’t as popular. Like Victor Hugo).

Clint looks up from his super secret notebook that everyone knows is a journal. Maybe it isn’t the smartest idea to keep a running log of things if you’re a highly trained spy but it wasn’t as though Hawkeye was going to speak frankly in it or without code. They hoped. (In reality it was a journal, but Clint was one of those people who wouldn’t say a thing about taking down  corrupt spy network but five million things about his friends and their personal lives).

“That is brilliant. Gorgeous. Perfect. Barnes, you may have the most beautiful imagination known to man, that brain inside that head of yours is just, why I could cry right here and now about it. I could.” “Does this mean…” Tony trails off, looking outside to the swirling snow nervously. He misses his California home.

 

It takes them all day because Clint refuses to let them use anything other than their own two hands, but in the end the answer to the question what is the tallest snowman the Avengers can build in a day with only their hands ends up being 42 feet tall and it looks absolutely ridiculous.

“I love it,” Clint says, gazing up at their masterpiece.

“It’s all wrong,” Tony sighs being a perfectionist at heart.

“That there’s no face makes it seem really evil,” Natasha says staring at the snow ground and refuses to meet their snowman’s eyeless face.

“I can’t believe I let Clint convince me this was more important than sorting out Stark Industries business,” Pepper says standing from Natasha’s right and looking up at the snowman’s face uncomfortably.

“He once convinced me I had just woken up from a coma. It was one of his more elaborate pranks.”

“Oh god,” Steve says clutching at Bucky’s arm who looks vaguely frightened by the sudden touch, “April fools with Clint. Bucky. We are friends with this strange disaster.” Bucky relaxes and leans into Steve, shivering slightly. He doesn’t seem conscious of doing it and Steve stares at him for a second but doesn’t noticeably tense. Then he leans into Bucky and loops his arm through Bucky’s.

“It’s kind of like if a chipmunk came to life and had a very serious job but was otherwise chipmunky and weird,” Bucky says, who seems prone to such strange yet accurate descriptions since he’s come to the tower and started talking.

“I don’t know why I’m still here,” Sam says looking to Steve with a please save me expression.

“Hots for Captain?” Natasha suggests. Sam tilts his head to the side in an accepting nod. Bucky tries to pull away from Steve but Steve, noting the tug, squishes Bucky’s arm tighter to his side and leans more.

“What? I’m cold,” He says when Bucky looks confused. No one believes his obvious lie. Not even Bucky, fully. Clint winks at Bucky when Steve looks away. 


	9. Present Tree

Day Nine

Present Tree

 

“I know what I want to do today,” Steve says looking ever so slightly embarrassedly at Bucky who sits on the couch across from him in Bucky’s apartment. In the back Christmas music is playing and all around there is yet more decorations than the night before, including fake snow. As if all the snow swirling outside isn’t enough.

“I think Clint has given up on planning things,” Bucky says smiling slightly. He’s trying to knit. It is not going well.

“There’s this place and you can go get this little like card that’s on a tree like an ornament and then it has all of the presents a family in need is asking for and I think that might be…” Steve trails off and looks down at his hands.

“Since when are you embarassed about being far too kind?” Bucky says, tilting his head like a confused puppy, as if it will make more sense from that angle. “Seriously, Stevie. You worked your butt off when we were kids to get your ma and me presents. I just stole you some art shit.”

“You didn’t,” Steve says, looking up at last. Bucky shrugs, looking a little ashamed.

“When I got a little older I started paying for it,” Bucky says. Steve stares. “I wanted to get you something, you made trouble loudly and got beat up all the time. You could convince people to let you take their garbage out for a month for a penny. I knew how to swipe stuff when the staff wasn’t looking.”

“Bucky…” In part Steve is horrified Bucky stole for him when he knows all of the people in the city could use more cash. Especially the art store actually. But it was true that while Bucky always saved Steve from trouble, Steve was always the one who was in it in the first place. He’d been the louder of the two boys for the most part, until Bucky had become handsome and the girls (and some boys quietly) started to notice that sort of thing and then Steve had quieted a little, more aware of his small and sick body.

“So what? Do we have to tell Clint we’re going to do a Christmas activity and have him peering at us the whole time like some sort of strange program?” Steve grins.

“I think we might get in trouble again,” he says.

 

“I think it’s this way,” Bucky says pointing determinedly in the completely wrong direction for the closest mall. They had found the place easy enough and the man working their had tried hard as he could to make them take less than they had but Steve had pulled the Avengers and being a cutie patootie card and the man had eventually folded and let them take a whole small tree worth. Fifteen families.

“What are you looking for mister? I’d tell you just where it is for five bucks,” a little girl says from behind them. She’s wearing a gigantic coat and hat and scarf that makes her mouth nose and eyes just barely visible. “WOW. You’re and you’re… But you aren’t right? Don’t you need some sort of body guard making sure no evils come after you two?” Steve smiles nervously at the girl but Bucky smiles genuinely.

“We’re looking for the closest mall to buy some presents and we’re willing to spent a gross amount of money for the info,” Bucky says.

“That’ll be about five blocks that way,” she says pointing in the opposite direction of what Bucky had said. “And no charge for Avengers,” she adds happily.

“How about ten times the original for Avengers?” The girl doesn’t say a word after Bucky gives her a fifty, just gapes at them until they leave.

 

“How are we supposed to know what kind of games to get a ten year old boy,” Bucky moans. They’ve been in the mall for hours, often having to enlist the help of random people and workers who look like they might know something about what the people in their cards have requested.

“I don’t know. Just buy like. Stereotypical and non stereotypical.” They do that for several more hours. 

 

“Clint would like you two to know he’s not speaking to either of you. As you’re dead to him,” Sam says reluctantly when they find everyone hours and four very sore arms later. Clint sniffs and turns his head away from them. 


	10. Tired Christmas Puzzle

Day Ten

Christmas Puzzles

 

“I’m tired,” Natasha says. It’s noon and they have yet to do a Christmas activity. For some reason, despite everyone but Bucky and Steve’s complete lack of a Christmas activity, they are all wiped out. The some reason is that they have not been to bed yet due to an especially addicting video gaming experience.

“I’m more tired,” Clint says looking at his caffeine less hot chocolate sadly.

“Well. I’m most tired,” Natasha shoots back immediately. Bucky and Steve, who went to sleep before Natasha suggested a video game (what good grandfathers they make) hum happily looking around at the truly miserable faces of their friends.

“We weren’t always this wimpy. I’ve gone days, WEEKS, without sleep. Christmas has turned us normal. I hate normal,” Tony says.

“We can do a Christmas puzzle. That counts as an activity right?”

 

The Christmas puzzle is finished by Steve and Bucky after everyone else has given into their drooping eyelids. Bucky finds it soothing. Steve breaks several mugs.

 

 


	11. Snowball fight

Day Eleven

Snowball Fight

 

“How come no one has ever told me of the wonder of earth winter?” Thor exclaims not bothering to explain his presence at their door. “Jane had some work. She told a yellow car to take me here,” he adds helpfully at their confused looks.

“You know what an amazing earth winter tradition is?” Clint says from under his snow suit. They are all bundled up equally ridiculously. Tony assured them he could have them have stylish and warm winter outfits but Clint, of course, had not allowed any such thing. “Snowball fight,” Clint says.

“You would be nocked over when we were kids and someone walloped you with a snowball,” Bucky says to Steve.

“Don’t think you’ll have that advantage today, Barnes.”

 

No one can decide who won. Bucky and Steve argue for a good five minutes that it was their respective teams and Thor doesn’t care but does continue to pelt their snow soaked selves with snowballs (no ones sure what team he had been playing for, as he had hit everyone). In the end they agree to disagree because tying is for losers.

 

Later when everyone else has left the park for warmer places and Steve and Bucky remain, they make an igloo big enough for two and hide in it.

“I wish we could’ve done this when I was a kid,” Steve says, sitting his head on a pile of snow within the igloo that is raised like it’s a pillow. Bucky mimics him with his own.

“You would have died,” Bucky says shaking his head.

“Yeah, I guess,” Steve says frowning. “You two spent too much time worrying about me.” Bucky snorts.

“What else were we supposed to do? A mild wind could probably nock you over." 


	12. Day Twelve: The sick watch christmas movies and snuggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know. i know. im an absolute terrible person. with the titles and all you'd think i intended to post a chapter a day. oopsamaloops? more to come today. i havent abandoned it. im just a horrible human being.

Day Twelve

The Sick Watch Christmas Movies

 

“How is this possible,” Steve says blowing his nose. “I thought this was impossible. ALL WE DID WAS FALL ASLEEP IN AN IGLOO.” Bucky glares at him. When it had gotten just a bit too late Pepper had (against Clint’s orders) to find them and found Bucky curled against a snoring Steve.

“I hate you,” Bucky seethes.

“So today what do you guys want to do?” Clint says, grinning at their misery because he still hasn’t forgiven them for going to the mall for their adorable present buying without him.

“Die,” Bucky answers, wiping his nose with his sleeve because the tissue is just out of his reach. “I don’t think even felt this shit when I hadn’t been horrible damaged by Hydra,” Bucky says to the awkward silence of the room until Pepper giggles on her way out the door to work.

“No but really I gave up on planning. I have suggestions though.”

“Aren’t there movies we haven’t seen,” Bucky says clutching his pounding head and glaring at Clint.

“Oh yes there are. Christmas movies,” Clint says and from under his chair he pulls out a case of them. It is his usual chair but still there immediate availability is kind of scary.

“I have an idea,” Says Bruce suddenly, lurching out of his chair and grabbing Tony, effectively leaving the Christmas movie marathon. He doesn’t really have an idea, but he does have a strange aversion to Christmas movies.

“I’ve been wanting to practice,” Natasha says even though she loves Christmas movies more than most things in life. Clint looks at her, and then back to Bucky and Steve and makes a whiny noise.

“Same,” he chokes out. Sam and Thor left earlier to explore with a vague shrug as to when they’d be back so with the reluctant leaving of Clint and Natasha Steve and Bucky find themselves utterly alone with a case of Christmas movies, tea, snacks, and cocoa. Natasha had insisted that they be allowed tea due to sickness.

“What do you think Buck?” Steve says helplessly flipping through the movies and turning away from them to sneeze every few seconds.

“This one looks cute,” Bucky says, holding how the Grinch stole Christmas. Steve smiles and nods and they scoot closer on the couch after putting it in.

 

“That was,” Bucky sniffs, nothing to do with sickness. “Two sizes too big,” he adds helplessly feeling completely pathetic.

“I think that might cause some medical issues,” Steve points out because he’s a shit, smiling widely and then choking on nothing and going into a coughing fit that has Bucky frowning and rubbing his back soothingly.

“Are you okay, Stevie?” Bucky says trying not to show how this is reminding him of pre-serum Steve.

“I’m fine, Buck. Jesus, you spent one night in an igloo. It’s like I wasn’t under ice for years,” Steve says and Bucky frowns louder.

“You could’ve made it,” Bucky mutters bitterly. Steve shrugs.

“Maybe,” he answers and frowns. The sick medicine Pepper gave him is making him weak. Why he would say that to Bucky is beyond him. “You were gone,” he adds because he’s an idiot and he watches Bucky’s jaw clench but Bucky doesn’t bother to answer him, just reopens the Christmas movie case and starts flipping through, too fast to really see any of the titles. “Buck?” Steve says.

“You’re an idiot, Rogers. Jesus. How stupid… forget it. Just. Pick one,” Bucky says shoving the movies at Steve.

“Bucky…”

“Just pick one, please,” Bucky says desperately, refusing to look at Steve. Steve picks Love Actually.

“That doesn’t count as a Christmas movie,” Steve says, ever the critic.

“It was beautiful,” Bucky counters defensively, and determinedly sipping his tea angrily. “I thought being… queer was okay now though? Why didn’t they make him in love with his best friend? It’s more…”

“More what?” Steve says when Bucky shuts his mouth quickly and then blow his nose.

“Ugh my head,” Bucky says grasping at the table next to him for the advil that probably wont work.

“More what?” Steve insists curiously and sniffling.

“Realistic,” Bucky says, refusing to meet Steve’s eyes. Steve nods.

“Yeah,” he says softly and Bucky looks up, “It is more realistic.” Bucky and Steve smile softly at each other.

 

They keep watching all day after that, sometimes they miss whole scenes, plots, because they become engrossed with talking to one another like they haven’t gotten to since they were kids, something about Christmas movies and tea and being sick making them a special kind of chatty and vulnerable that doesn’t even care its being chatty and vulnerable. They scoot even closer to each other too, pressed completely against each other, sometimes with legs thrown across the other but neither of them mention it. They just snuggle up and smile angelically at each other.

 

It’s late when Pepper gets in. two, three in the morning, and she finds them draped across each other on the couch, Bucky snuggled onto Steve’s chest, pelvis on pelvis really, hands in Steve’s hair, and Steve us holding Bucky, arms wrapped around him. Pepper’s mouth pops open in a sort of oh my way, and then she texts everyone a picture and a request to not


	13. Day Thirteen: Knitting away the sexual tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really short and kind of awful but it's what I have for y'all

Day Thirteen

Knitting away the sexual tension

 

Bucky wakes up slowly. His body probably knows the shock that he’d feel about his current position if he didn’t wake slowly. Boner and all, he’s completely on top of his best friend, his hands, for christs sake, are literally woven into Steve’s hair. Steve’s eyes are blinking open and they look at each other. Bucky makes to move slightly. This turns out to be a terrible, awful, horrible, wonderful, idea because he sort of ends up making a sliding motion with his boner against Steve’s who’s mouth sort of falls open and lets out a little whine.

“Um,” Bucky says eloquently and then twists his fingers in Steve’s hair and tugs experimentally and Steve makes a noise that sends a delicious thrill up Bucky’s spine and makes the heat in his stomach turn to fire. “You didn’t tell me you liked men,” Bucky says accusingly, because that’s the most important thing he could say right now, and he takes his hands out of Steve’s hair who makes a grumpy face at him.

“Because that’s the important thing right now,” Steve says. Bucky grins and thrusts down into Steve’s lap slightly and laughs, ignoring Steve’s impatience and stopping. Ignoring his own desire to fuck the shit out of Steve in favor of torturing him a little.

“Oh I don’t know,” Bucky says, leaning forward and biting Steve’s neck. How Bucky knew what neck biting does to Steve is beyond him but his throat makes a desperate sort of whining groan as Bucky stops just as soon as he’s started. “I think it’s kind of important. See,” Bucky says, actually somehow managing to lean away from the irresistible man before him, all eager to be kissed and licked and probably, by the looks of it, fucked. When was the last time Steve Rogers was laid anyways, it’s practically for the good of the country that Bucky do him. “How do I know you really love me? I tried to maybe tell you the other day in the carriage. Maybe I need to be wooed.”

“Wooed?” Steve says. “I thought maybe the whole being best friends thing would’ve taken care of that,” he adds unhappily. Bucky is completely off of him now.

“Hmph,” he says.

“Oh my god,” Steve says.

“What happened here?” says Natasha, entering the room and narrowing her eyes comically at it.

“Nothing,” Bucky says happily.

“Knitting?” Natasha says. “I told Clint you guys probably aren’t up for sledding just yet,” as if to prove her point Steve starts coughing. They knit in a tension filled silence Natasha pretends not to notice and Bucky pretends not to enjoy.


	14. Day Fourteen: Christmas Cookie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possibly my shortest chapter ever.

Day Fourteen

Christmas Cookies

 

“I want cookies,” Clint says poutingly. He’s pouting because his fantastic Christmas time has become a little less of his thing that he is in charge of. It’s gotten away from his control. Steve and Bucky don’t quite have the nerve to admit to him that they spent the morning making out, because at this point they’ve recognized they are the Christmas goal of Clint’s. That poor strange bird man and his old men OTP’s. “Make them with me?” He says making giant eyes at Steve and Bucky, who laugh and nod.

 

They have possibly too many cookies when they’re done, literal tables upon tables full of all kinds of Christmas cookies, and Clint look satisfied with how close they’ve been all night and how happy and flirty they seem. Bucky really needs to think of a way to let Clint have this one. It is Christmas time after all. 


	15. Day Fifteen: Reindeer and mistletoe kisses

Day Fifteen

Reindeer and Mistletoe Kisses

 

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Oh my god,” Tony says loudly turning to confront Clint and Natasha, “What? Seriously what? Pepper thought I was the five year old.”

“Would someone kindly inform Natasha that reindeer aren’t real?” Clint says. The room falls completely silent and then there’s Sam, choking on his cocoa.

“Oh my god,” Tony says again, but this time there’s nothing but glee in his voice.

“Oh my god,” Bruce repeats.

“How do you even…” Bucky adds.

“No,” Clint says, eyes going wide, “No please no. Please don’t tell me Reindeer have been real this whole time.”

“Hate to break it to you, buddy,” Tony says in a voice that reeks with happiness of breaking it to Clint.

“No,” Clint says ago.

“I can pull up the wiki article on the matter if you like, Mr. Barton,” Jarvis says in his amused voice.

“Okay,” Clint says. But as he reads he becomes more and more skeptical, because how can reindeer have been real this entire time and he never knew it? It just isn’t possible. “How do I know you didn’t write this whole article?” Clint demands of Tony.

“Look, Clint, we can go to a literal reindeer farm or you can just admit that you are a giant idiot,” Tony says and realizes his mistake much too late. “Oh no,” he says, “You’re really going to make me drive to a reindeer farm aren’t you?”

“Look, Tony, you can admit there’s no such thing as reindeer or you can drive me to that farm and let me talk to the reindeer farmer people. Ha. Reindeer famers. Don’t make me laugh.”

 

“Are you laughing yet?” Tony says as they walk away from the farm and back to their cars.

“Shut up,” Clint says, face burning in shame.

“I should’ve bet you,” Natasha says regretfully.

“As if you don’t have more money than you know what to do with,” Clint snipes.

“Yeah,” Natasha says, “But there’s just something about knowing that you got it because Clint Barton didn’t know that reindeer are real.”

“Shut up,” Clint says again.

 

“STOP,” Clint shouts. Steve freezes and twists his head to look at Clint. Him and Bucky are the first ones in the door and Clint looks his crazy look of delight at this.

“What now?” Bucky says, tired and grumpy from hours in the car and the constant bickering of Natasha and Clint who know no other way.

“Mistletoe,” Clint says pointing up. Sure enough, per Clint’s request, Pepper has reluctantly hung mistletoe while they were all out above the entryway. “You have to kiss,” he adds happily. Bucky looks at Steve, and Steve grins.

“Okay,” Steve says, and does just that.

 

Two hours later Clint bolts upright and nocks Natasha off of his lap.

“YOU TWO HAD KISSED BEFORE THAT HADNT YOU,” he screams furiously at them.

“Of course not,” Steve says from Bucky’s lap.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Bucky says carding his hands through Steve’s hair.

“You little shits,” Clint says, because he’s not fooled.

 


	16. Day Sixteen: Dying geese caroling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its literally like forty words long oops

Day Sixteen

Caroling

 

“This is a terrible idea,” Steve says taking the booklet from Clint.

“It’s perfect,” Clint says.

They have several people ask them to leave after the wonder of the Avengers caroling at their doorstep has worn off. They really do sound like dying geese.


	17. Day Seventeen: Sledding and Shits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conversation about the lesser adn greater shits just kind of happened and is insanely unimportant and probably a rlly good representation of my first drafts like all of this has been. woo.

Day Seventeen

Sledding

 

“Why are we up at ass o’clock in the morning?” Steve says, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. The lack of criminal activity happening this December has made them all profoundly lazy. Bucky makes a hurt whining noise from next to Steve on Steve’s bed.

“Maybe if you hadn’t been up all night getting it in the butt, you could form actual words,” Clint says snottily to Bucky.

“Who says Stevie tops?” Bucky manages.

“That is a very good point, Barton, who says Stevie tops?” Natasha says from behind Clint, smirking knowingly at the pile of genetically enhanced superhero that’s still trying to deny life happens before noon.

“Me, Tony, Sam, yourself,” Clint answers and Steve chokes on his own spit.

“Do you guys have any, any at all, sense of personal privacy?” Steve says, voice higher than it’s been since his teen years.

“Nope,” Clint says cheerily.

“Well,” Natasha says, “we don’t have creeper camera’s in here to settle the bets, we just make the bets and expect you guys to tell us.”

“Yay, you have the decency to not try and shoot porn of us without our consent, how kind of you,” Bucky says, beginning to unsnuggle from Steve and root around for his shirt. His pajama bottoms are on though, and Clint narrows his eyes at Bucky’s marvelous chest.

“You have pants on,” Clint says suspiciously.

“Very observant of you,” Bucky says, pretending he isn’t aware of where Clint is going with this.

“Are you serious? You guys are seriously, what? Waiting until marriage? Rogers, I know you believe in a god and all but come on. I don’t think anyone could be disappointed in you for waiting what, since the agricultural revolution to get it up-“

“And with that meet us in the giant white van outside in twenty or I shave your hair off in your sleep,” Natasha butts in brightly, taking Clint by the arm and dragging him quickly out.

“I’m not a hundred year old virgin,” Steve says gloomily.

“That’s right buddy,” Bucky says, “Your hundredth birthday isn’t for a few years yet.”

 

“So, what you’re telling me, is despite the last time we, as a group, decided to do a snow activity, not including the snowman or igloo, you want us to sit on that,” Bucky points angrily at the sled, “and go down that?” he points angrily to the hill full of screaming children. As if on queue, a five year old going down one hill collides with an at least two hundred pound man coming down another that did not see him. There’s an audible crunch.

“Yes,” Clint says gleefully, tugging at his ridiculous mittens.

“Hells yes,” Tony says, who is in complete denial he’ll be as awful at this as he was at skiing and at caroling.

“I am ready to sit upon the round throne and descend that mountain,” Thor says.

“He can talk normally,” Sam says, who had spent a whole day talking normally with Thor and so knows this. “He’s also smart. Don’t let him fool you.”

“You ruin my fun, son of Will,” Thor proclaims, grabbing a sled dramatically and beginning to walk up what’s really more of a hill and less of a mountain.

“Need I tell you he also knows that’s not how names work,” Sam says, sighing. Steve just grins at Sam and takes Bucky’s hand, following the ridiculous Asgardian up the hill.

 

“How do you not have any snow on you? Are you even wet?” Tony says to Natasha, who looks as far from someone who just spent three hours sliding down hills and then climbing back up them as is possible when that’s literally what you were just doing.

“Oh yeah she is,” Clint butts in, because he is secretly twelve. Natasha smacks him upside the head, and he doesn’t avoid it, even though he could, because really he deserved that.

“I want some soup, care to join me?” Pepper says to Natasha, gesturing to the dining area in the weird sledding lodge they’re in. Natasha smiles gratefully.

“Have you heard from Hill recently? And you’re welcome to join us, Bucky,” Pepper says. Bucky shrugs and follows them.

“Why was Bucky invited and not us?” Thor asks, genuinely confused.

“They don’t know how much of a shit he is,” Steve says.

“No offense, Rogers,” Tony says, “But you’re the shit in the relationship. Pepper and Natasha are shits, this is true,” Clint nods wisely in agreement, “but Clint and I are bigger shits. The heterosexual perception is that the woman will be the lesser shits always, but this is not always true. If, for instance, Hill and Sam ever begin dating, Hill will be the shit and Sam will be invited for soup.”

“So the lesser…” Thor pauses, “Shits group together and the greater shits too?”

“Yes. I beat Romanov by only a smidge. I’m not entirely convinced she really belongs there,” Clint says sadly. “I always wanted to be part of the soup group,” he adds.

 

“Why did you invite me?” Bucky says, trailing uncomfortably behind Pepper and Natasha. Natasha slows down to make sure he catches up.

“We like you most,” Pepper says.

 

“What do they do in the soup group?” Thor asks.

“Complain, gossip, chat, think of ways to prank and bug us,” Clint says.

 

“Clam chowder all around please,” Pepper says. They eat in a peaceful silence. Bucky feels more relaxed than he has all month.

“We do talk sometimes,” Natasha warns him as they make their way back to the others, who appear to be in some epic arm wrestling match.

“I like to talk,” Bucky assures her. Natasha smiles kindly at him.

 


	18. Day Eighteen: Concert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk why they are so stupid dont ask

Day Eighteen

Concert

 

“Why haven’t we done anything yet today, I’m boreddd,” Natasha whines, smashing her controller buttons and furiously punching Bruce’s ninja.

“Not bored enough to lose to me,” Bruce says through gritted teeth and then throws the controller as game over flashes on the screen.

“No need to hulk out about it,” Natasha says, looking more amused with her completely unoriginal comment than is really necessary.

“You’d know if I hulked out,” Bruce says grumpily pulling a pillow close to him and setting his chin on it in a hmphing way.

“The thing isn’t until like eight. Chill out,” Clint says.

“Did you, you Clint Barton, you who smashed Tony’s window when you found a secret stash of coffee, you, drama queen to end all drama queens, just tell me to chill out?”

“Yes,” Clint says without an ounce of shame. “Play me?” He asks gesturing to Mario kart.

“Oh it’s on,” Natasha says.

 

“YOU DID NOT JUST FUCKING BLUE SHELL ME!” Clint screams and throws his remote at the window, which it bounces off of and hits Bruce in the stomach. “That’s IT we aren’t having SEX for MONTHS.”

“Told you they were an official couple, you asswipe,” Bruce says to Tony.

“Just because they are having crazy athletic monkey sex doesn’t mean they’re a couple,” Tony points out, not looking entirely convinced himself that this is the case with Clint and Natasha.

“We’re a thing,” Clint says glaring at Natasha who rolls her eyes.

“Mhmm,” She says. Tony hands Bruce a roll of twenties.

 

“We’re going to a fucking concert,” Tony says because all the sitting and listening in formal concerts makes him want to rip his eyes out.

“Yeah about that,” Clint begins sheepishly, “I lied. Bucky and Steve are going to the concert. We’re staying here in sweatpants and playing Mario kart until I beat Natasha.”

“You’ll rot,” Natasha says delightedly.

 

“That was nice,” Bucky says stiffly. Steve laughs.

“You didn’t enjoy that even a little,” Steve says, tugging on his own collar.

“It was so…”

“Nice?” Steve suggests. Bucky sighs and looks at the ground.

“I still feel out of place. It’s. I mean it’s Christmas, and Clint really does know how to Christmas but,” Bucky struggles to add anymore words on.

“It’s weird,” Steve says. “It’s all weird. Video games and all the cars all the time and billboards and the Internet where you can basically find anything. It’s not like what we know.” Bucky sighs and rubs his forehead in frustration.

“I wish it was like before,” Bucky says and then his frown seems to get deeper, “No, that’s a lie. It’s much better now. I don’t know what I want.” Bucky neglects to mention that he wants Steve, and Steve shifts uncomfortably, unable to reach out and pull Bucky close like he wants to. They sleep on their own floors that night, silent and frustrated with little clue as to why.

 


	19. Day Nineteen: Children's hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the kids arent even like in this at all im sorry also Steve and Bucky are being dumb

Day Nineteen

Children’s hospital

 

“But that sounds so depressing,” Natasha whines. Steve frowns at her, trying to pull his Captain America is disappointed in you shit that actually kind of works. Natasha throws her feet up on the couch and does a completely fake dramatic sigh. “Can’t we just stay in again? Pleaseee.”

“Are you,” Tony scrunches up his nose, “Are you complaining about visiting a children’s hospital? With children who have to be in there at Christmas? In the hospital?”

“GUILT TRIP. YOU’RE TRYING TO SEND ME ON A GUIL TRIP,” Natasha yells, bolting upright and pointing at Tony.

“Yeah, Nat,” Clint says, “That’s a bit high of you, don’t you think?” Clint doesn’t really care if Natasha wants to go, because he doesn’t either, because it was Steve’s dumb idea and Bucky had looked at him in some strange fond mixed with anger mixed with sadness look that Clint wanted to figure out but doesn’t really want to go to a hospital to find out. Hospitals are scary.

“Can’t we just send the oldies together or something?” Natasha says.

“No!” Bucky says quickly, and they all side eye the fuck out of him.

“Okay,” Clint says, “Maybe not just the oldies then?” Clint looks at Steve, who has the kind of shamed look that only comes from something either really being your fault or you really believing it is your fault. And with Steve it’s often hard to tell which one it is.

“Romanov,” Clint says, “I’m going to need you on this one.” Natasha doesn’t look surprised.

“Copy that, Barton,” She says.

 

“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t just let anyone visit these children, you could be some sort of creep for all I know,” the woman behind the counter says, and Steve looks very, hilariously, comically, confused.

“Pardon my friend,” Natasha says stepping forward, “It’s just he isn’t used to not being recognized as Captain America or used to not getting his way.” The woman’s eyebrows try to hide behind her hairline.

“Do you have any proof of that Ms…”

“Romanov,” Natasha supplies.

“HOLY SHIT ON A STICK,” someone yells very loudly from behind them and they turn quickly to see a group of small children staring at them. “THOSE ARE. MERIDA YOU HAVE TO LET THEM IN YOU HAVE TO YOU HAVE TO.” There’s a lot of please and screams aside from the main one that seems to be a girl of anywhere from about seven to ten and they all seem to have recognized what the woman cannot. Some of the Avengers are requesting a meeting with sick children in the hospital.

“Where are your cameras hmm? These kids go through enough without having you pull publicity stunts with them,” the woman, Merida says.

“Do I look like the kind of person to know how to use a camera?” Steve says, even though they all know Steve took to technology pretty damn easily.

“Yeah, well, what about them?” Merida says, casting a distrustful look at Natasha and Clint. Bucky is wearing a Christmas sweater and a puzzled expression that Merida catches though, and smiles at. “You can vouch for these hooligans?” She asks him as if they are old friends.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Bucky says, confused as to why the question was posed to him in particular. Merida looks at them and then back to the kids who have gotten out of their beds to crowd around Merida’s work station.

“Well, I suppose they let you up to this floor. Without visitors passes, I’ll have to get on Carl about this,” Merida says in defeat and immediately the children are clamoring for their attention.

 

“And can you come to our play pretty please? It’s just tomorrow and you can bring all of your superhero friends and maybe we can have a pizza party afterwards, there’s a rumor going around Gladis is going to order it all and,” The kid, Toby, stops to catch his breath and Steve frowns, putting a hand on his shoulder in concern. All day the kids have shown how they are sick, but it never makes Steve look less concerned.

“Of course,” Bucky says for all of them. “Of course we’ll come.” There’s a resounding chorus of yays and several of the kids climb on top of Bucky.

“This was a great way to figure out why Bucky and Steve are being so weird,” Natasha mutters, “Put them in a situation full of distracting children.” All day Steve and Bucky had played games, talked, colored and done basically any other child at the hospital activity without hardly every looking at each other.


	20. Day Twenty: The Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is short and awful sors

Day Twenty

Christmas Play

 

“This is shit,” Tony says.

“They’re kids, Tony,” Bruce says quietly, looking around nervously to see that no one heard him, “And they’re sick. What did you expect, Hollywood?” Tony sniffs indignantly, but they all see him sniff away some emotions as the dog is returned at the end of play.

 

“You guys were great!” Steve says, completely truthfully in his mind. A young girl named Clara scoffs.

“We aren’t actors. It’s just so boring here,” She says grumpily.

“Boring?” Tony says, because it’s probably the worst thing anything can be.

“The T.V’s are old and don’t get a lot of programs. So’s the books and games and everything.”

“I can fix that,” Tony says pulling out his phone.

“He’s always going to be their favorite now, you know that right?” Natasha says to Steve who just smiles.

“But they’ll have stuff they deserve,” He says.

“Fuck off, Captain,” Natasha says.


	21. Day Twenty One: Christmas Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this clears up a little of the confusion on what Steve and Bucky even are and stuff. enjoy :)

Day Twenty One

Christmas Party

 

“I don’t want to go,” Bucky says, tugging his blanket up to his chin and refusing to look at Steve who stand in the doorway to Bucky’s living room. Steve’s eyes flicker to the T.V screen and then back to Bucky, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Buck, come on. Tony said no more than two hours late,” Steve says. Clint had gone to tell them of whatever ridiculous Christmas activity today was but Tony had butted in and begrudgingly told them that they were all invited to his Christmas party at his mansion outside of NYC that apparently he has.

“But. People,” Bucky says. He’s trying not to say what he really wants to, that he’s sure some of the people who brought him in, some of the people who peered in his brain, some of the people who reluctantly told Steve he could live in Avengers tower with them, some of them will be there. Them and the media and he doesn’t know if he can hold Steve’s hand.

“Buck, please. We can leave after a few moments, if it’s too much.” Bucky frowns. He doesn’t want Steve to treat him like glass all the time, like he could break at any moment. Even if maybe he could. He almost misses sick Steve who needed Bucky. Almost.

“Okay,” Bucky says, grabbing the suite Tony had given him. “Do you mind?” He adds. Steve blushes and leaves.

 

“Is he coming?” Natasha says, waiting just outside the door for Steve.

“Yeah,” Steve says. Natasha looks at him, one of those looks that he knows means she’s trying to get everything figured out. Probably figuring out things he didn’t even know were true.

“Good,” Natasha says, “Talk to him, Rogers.” And then she’s walking away, beautiful back open blue dress swaying behind her.

 

Steve fidgets, unsure of what to do with his hands. He nearly pounces on the platter of jumbo shrimp that comes by, and the waiter gives him a strange look when he grabs four but he just smiles brightly at him. Bucky is dancing with Natasha to some slow song that surprises Steve, he’d figured this Christmas party would be classic Stark. But then again it was for Stark Industries which Tony technically had little say over anymore. Natasha leans her head on Bucky’s shoulder and Steve fights the urge to break up their little moment.

“You’re an idiot,” someone says from beside Steve. Steve turns. Clint. Of course it’s Clint.

“Thanks,” Steve says grumpily stuffing a whole jumbo shrimp in his mouth. Clint straightens his tie and smirks.

“Look, I’m not really into getting people together in ways that don’t include scheming,” Clint says and then pauses, making a sad face, “But I’ll make an exception because you and your boy are such cliché idiots.”

“Thanks,” Steve says again, even more bitchy this time.

“Oh my god. Ugh. Where’s Kate when you need some unidiotic company…” Steve frowns, because he has no idea who Kate is. “Anyways,” Clint continues, “I can’t be sure why the dream couple is acting so weird after like what, a day of adorable happiness? But I figure it goes something like oh no does he really like me are you sure how do you know maybe he just likes me for my abs and not my personality what if he needs something from the forties to hang on to and it has nothing to do with me wa wa wa, I would call you both teenage girls but that’s an old fashioned sexist gender stereotyped way of thinking and we must get beyond that.”

“Um,” Steve says eloquently.

“Yeah yeah I’m awesome and always right and you’re very thankful and also Bucky is heading outside so you might want to follow him,” Clint says, gesturing to Bucky’s retreating back. Natasha is making her way to Steve and Clint.

“Go,” Natasha says. Steve does just that.

“What is Thor doing?” Clint says. Natasha turns to where he’s looking and starts giggling.

“Oh my,” She says at his appalling dance moves, “If I had to take a guess I’d say getting uninvited from any of Stark’s future social gatherings.”

 

 

“Bucky?” Steve calls once he’s out the door he saw Bucky disappear through. There’s fancy person groomed hedges and strange sculptureish things some of which are small enough to sit on and look just like random blocks to Steve. He finds Bucky sniffling on one of them.

“Go away, Stevie,” Bucky says, wiping at his face frantically. Steve ignores this order, of course, and sits down next to Bucky.

“Nah,” Steve says simply. “I like it here.”

“It’s cold. The bench is hard.”

“I think it’s supposed to be a sculpture actually,” Steve says. Bucky does a snort laugh.

“The 21st century is weird,” he says.

“It is. But. Bucky I’ve been in love with you since pretty early on in the 20th century,” Steve says because it’s dark and it’s easier to tell the truth in the dark and it needed to be said. “It’s a little overdue I know,” He adds nervously.

“Oh,” Bucky says. Steve tries to conceal the fact he feels like throwing up.

“Good oh or bad oh?” Steve asks.

“Good oh. Very good oh,” Bucky says. A moment of silence follows. “I love you, like in a completely gay way, by the way,” Bucky adds after a moment. Steve laughs and turns to kiss him.


	22. Day Twenty Two: Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a short one sors.

Day Twenty Two

Shopping

 

“I’m telling you,” Clint says as they circle the mall for the fifteenth time and ignore all the looks of the people who have been threated over the speakers by Tony Stark himself not to notice them, “Just wrap yourself in wrapping paper and sit under the tree and then have Bucky unwrap you and have filthy superhero sex.”

“Fondue it,” Natasha says from Steve’s other side. It’s like having an angel and a devil on your shoulders except they’re both devils.

“I didn’t know what that meant,” Steve mutters.

“And so you just assumed it was dirty, you naughty, naughty boy,” Natasha shoots back. They’re close enough to a group of teenagers to see the hot topic bag ridden group burst into adorable giggles at this. They overhear one complain that Stark would probably hunt them down and skin them if they vined that and then they’re too far to hear the rest of the argument.

“In the spirit of dirtiness,” Clint says pointing to a sex shop. Steve goes bright red.

“Can we really just walk in there?” Steve squeaks.

“Do you really want to?” Natasha says gleefully. Steve looks at the store, and even from outside he can see the overwhelming amount of confusing things to choose from. He viciously shakes his head.

“Don’t worry,” Natasha says, “Valentines day isn’t too far off. I can take you two shopping.” Steve can’t honestly say no to that, so he doesn’t say anything at all.

“What have you gotten everyone, anyways?” Steve says, turning to Clint. Clint just smiles and shakes his head.

 

Steve ends up getting everyone presents that day, with varying levels of confidence in them. Clint takes him to some strange back alley store where he buys several things with names he can’t pronounce for Natasha and uses which are dubious (he also gets her several video games Clint says she’ll enjoy beating them at), and Natasha takes him to a toy store and tells him to buy everything that looks fun, because Clint is a small child. He buys Natasha some things here too, because she’s much less serious than she pretends to be.

 

Bucky had already bought everyone presents, and smiled in a scary manner when Clint took offense that he did not know this. 


	23. Day Twenty Three: Wrapping Presents

Day Twenty Three

Wrapping Presents

 

“I can’t believe we just got to this part,” Clint shouts to the others. They had ridiculous curtains dividing the room into sections so that everyone could wrap their presents.

“I can’t believe you took up half the room,” Sam says, from the smallest corner of the room. “Also,” he added, “I know virtually nothing about all of you,” he warns.

“You did fine,” Clint said.

“And you know this because?” Clint makes a loud scoffing noise.

“I followed most of you,” He says, “Nat lost me though,” he adds sadly.

“I didn’t shop outside,” Tony says proudly.

“Your passwords are almost impossible to crack,” Clint says.

“ALMOST?” Tony screeches.

“I’m sorry, sir, Mr. Barton was…”

“JARVIS HOW COULD YOU?”

“I cut myself,” Bucky says grumpily, sucking on his thumb.

“Want me to come kiss it?” Steve says from his section.

“You’re both disgusting,” Clint says. 


	24. Day Twenty Four: CHRISTMAS EVE MOTHERFUCKERS (it's surprisingly unthrilling)

 

Day Twenty Four

CHRISTMAS EVE, MOTHERFUCKERS (It’s surprisingly unthrilling)

 

“So what’s today? Are we meeting Santa? Going to the literal north pole? Shoving literal candy canes up our asses?” Steve says from underneath Bucky who has decided to take a nap on top of him at this late hour of one in the afternoon.

“As delightful as that all sounds, no,” Clint says, flipping the page of some wedding magazine.

“Why are you reading that? Something to give Natasha hmm?” Tony says hopefully from where he and Bruce are crowded over some super secret problem no one cares about except them.

“I love weddings,” Thor says happily from next to Jane. Darcy rolls her eyes. They arrived early in the morning, at last done with some research thing and unable to get (or really want all that much) a flight out of New York.

“Of course you do, big guy,” Darcy says, “I think in theory they’re great but have you ever been to an earth wedding? You have to just sit there and listen to preachers preach. It’s worse than getting your privates waxed.”

“Not that Darcy’s privates aren’t interesting,” Clint says, getting an immediate book hurled at him from Darcy, “But we aren’t really doing anything. Today is a day of fireplaces, Christmas stories, cocoa, and cuddles. It’s anticipation and marveling over the packages your friends have given you, it’s masking in the glory soon to end,” Clint says dramatically.

“Mmm, is it also a day of sleep?” Bucky says, rubbing his eyes adorably and then accepting a kiss from Steve.

“You guys are like the disgusting grandparents who still love each other,” Natasha says. Bucky just hums happily and flips her off.

“Can you not do that on my couch, please?” Tony says as it starts to get a little intense. Bucky pulls away from Steve and stands up.

“I think we’ll be going to mine for no reason whatsoever,” Bucky says, happily walking away with a giddy bounce in his step.

“Why did we think this was a good idea?” Clint says.

“Clint,” Pepper says, “I hate to be the one to break this to you. But I think they might have gotten together without your help.” Clint shakes his head.

“Nonsense,” he says. 


	25. Day Twenty Five: Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay for what this has been leading up to its absolute shit im sorry

Day Twenty Five

Christmas

 

“I’m not really much for this part,” Clint says surveying his domain of presents.

“Are you shitting me?” Bucky says, incredulous look on his face that Steve shares.

“Don’t you know preparing for and leading up to Christmas is much better than Christmas? The frantic running around to shops, all the playing in snow, the music, the heartwarming stories… and then it comes to this day. Were we just. Exchange gifts. It’s completely unsatisfying. Anti-climatic even,” Clint says.

“So all of these presents?” Tony says gesturing to how they can barely see out the giant window for stacks and stacks of gifts cover it.

“More from Steve than anyone else, a couple cars that Tony could’ve bought himself but will be much more satisfying from me, honestly can you just. Wake me when you’re done?” And Clint curls up on the couch and goes to sleep.

 

Bucky, on the other hand, is fascinated by the boxes and boxes of things that everyone has gotten him. His favorites are the stupidly childish, the ones that there’s no real reason they gave the ex hydra weapon except probably that that made them giggle. Bucky gets coloring books (one of just Steve, and Bucky thinks he could probably never color it right), stuffed animals, clothes, remote control toys, and practically any and every thing he has shown even the slightest interest in. He even gets a sidecar, for he once joked about sitting next to Steve in one on his big dangerous motorcycles.

 

Natasha seems pleased with all of hers, including several cats that all seem to have a special meaning to her, some tea calendar, many badass weapons, and toys.

 

Tony gets mostly the kind of flashy shit Tony Stark lives for, except from Bucky who sneakily gives him fancy ice skates and an address to what will be revealed as their own personal ice skating rink.

 

Pepper was found to be ultimately impossible to shop for and she doesn’t mind at all when no one does very well, but she seems most pleased with Bruce’s books (they have a super secret book club no one else knows about) and Bucky’s elaborate bonsi tree garden that he made himself, and no one knows how to react to. Tony gets her some fancy jewelry, which at first makes Sam roll his eyes, until Pepper appears to be tearing up. She tells no one why.

 

Steve gets more art supplies than he probably needs, of every kind because gift certifercites are stupid but people who aren’t artists have no way of knowing what supplies to even get artists, some random pieces of pop culture junk they think he may have missed with his obsessive need to know every since significant and insignificant thing that happened since he went under, some art classes, a jock rocket kind of motorcycle (“those don’t come with side cars do they” Bucky whines) and a ton of clothes from Natasha, who has way too much fun dressing him and Bucky.

 

Sam gets books, cd’s, clothes, movies, espresso machines, invitations to all of Starks parties till forever, and general random crap you give people you don’t know well enough. He gets gag gifts too, like the book about how to get over falling in love with every hot person who looks at you twice, and they make him sit on a whoopee cushion, because Sam Wilson reacting to a loud fart noise is a very strange sight and most of the Avengers can easily be reduced to twelve year olds.

 

Thor gets all sorts of completely normal earth stuff he doesn’t know about, like a toaster oven, and all of the most important earth t.v shows and movies.

 

Darcy gets mostly weapons, and Jane pinches Clint awake furiously, but he just grins and goes back to sleep. Darcy finds all of them better than her taser.

 

Jane gets the random crap that comes from knowing only that you like science and that you were going to be there the day before. She does not expect any of the high tech equipment Tony throws at her but she appreciates it.

 

Bruce gets some rad looking science stuff that no one but Tony really understands, books about remaining calm, a kitten, and life sized cut outs of his favorite actors, because realistic 3D renditions are creepy, but card board cut outs apparently aren’t. He has too many of them. He also gets a truckload, a literal truckload, of coffee, because Christmas is over and life is pointless.

 

Clint opens his presents dis-heartedly and doe not look to care about the videogames, child’s toys, new bow things, or really anything. He lays his head in Natasha’s lap and looks lost.

 

“Okay you can come in now,” Steve shouts to the living room much later, after many christmas movies and sad looks to Clint, and Bucky enters the bedroom. And then he laughs. And laughs. And laughs. Because, per Clint’s suggestion, he has wrapped himself in Christmas wrapping paper. Bucky digs into this gift with a bit more enthusiasm than his earlier ones.


	26. Day Twenty Six: Existential Crisis Snow Angels

Day Twenty Six

Existential Crisis Snow Angels 

 

They find Clint the next day outside of the Avengers tower making the same miserable sweeping angel movement with a look of despair on his face. 

"It's all over," He keeps repeating to himself. Natasha carries him into the tower fireman style. 


	27. Day Twenty Seven: The literal north pole

Day Twenty Seven

The literal north pole 

 

"No," Clint says as they gesture to all the white around them, "Santa isn't real and nothing is good. Nothing is good." 

"Why did we even bother?" Steve says. 

"Because trust me, he can do this for weeks, you have to break him out of post christmas depression or some real shit goes down," Natasha says, with the look of one who has seen too many terrible things happen, but this takes the cake. 

"What did it before?" Tony says with the interest of a scientist. 

"I nocked him out and flew him to the bahamas," Natasha says. 


	28. Day Twenty Eight: No

Day Twenty Eight  
No 

"No," Clint says before any of them can even say a thing.


	29. Day Twenty Nine: Bring out the big guy

Day Twenty Nine  
Bring out the big guy 

"No," Bruce says immediately.   
"I just don't think that my old way is going to work again," Natasha says.   
"Fine." 

The thing about the hulk screaming at you is that it will pull anyone out of a mostly catatonic state.


	30. Day Thirty: New Years Eve Eve

Day Thirty

New Years Eve Eve

 

Clint was back and he was ready for a new fucking year. Christmas was only what, a little less than twelve whole blasted months away. He could make it, he could. He would plan and he would scheme to make the next Christmas even better, maybe Sam Wilson would find a date for once.

Clint ordered Bucky and Steve to leave. Apparently the party tomorrow was exactly what you’d expect from Stark and nothing else, but they needed to get out of the tower more. Steve tried to hide his horror when Bucky proclaimed that he wanted to go ice skating.

 

“It’s fun, Steve,” Bucky says, putting on a scarf Natasha had proclaimed complimented his eyes nicely.

“That is so incorrect,” Steve says but he lets himself be pulled along, because Bucky is adorable and Steve wants him to be happy.

 

“This isn’t where we went before,” Steve says and Bucky grins, handing him far better looking shoes than the piece of crap rentals the place they had gone to before gave them.

“This is a special place,” Bucky says simply and Steve allows himself to be pulled onto the empty arena.

 

“Relax, Steve,” Bucky says peaceful smile on his face that kind of out does every moment of peace they’ve shared. Steve glares up at him from the ground.

“It’s impossible,” He grumbles and Bucky shrugs.

“It’s magic,” Bucky counters. Steve raises an eyebrow at that, because with all their experience he isn’t really sure where they stand on the whole magic thing. Steve gets up, and somehow stays up for just a little bit, holding Bucky’s hand. Eventually, Bucky takes pity on Steve and drags him off the ice and to a couch, where they make out for an obscene amount of time.

 


	31. Day Thirty One: New years eve

Day Thirty One

New Years Eve

 

“Are you ready?” Steve says nervously tugging at his tie. It’s time for Tony’s party and he and Bucky will be appearing as a couple, which some New Yorker’s have already figured out quite easily, mostly because they behave like an odd mixture of sweet loving old couple and horny teenagers. Bucky looks even more uncomfortable than Steve feels.

“New year…” Bucky says quietly. Steve frowns at him, moving closer to him and taking both his hands in his own until Bucky makes pained, nervous eye contact with him.

“What is it, Buck?” Steve says. Bucky bites his lip and shrugs.

“New years are just weird, Stevie. It’s like you have to change, or something. And there’s all of this, of this, what’s going to happen you know? Like, Christmas is over,” Bucky says, looking pained with every word, like none of it’s coming out at all right. Steve pulls Bucky closer, like they’re about to start dancing.

“Buck, it’s. It’s going to be okay? If we made it through all of that,” Steve gestures backwards with his hand, as if the past is sitting behind them on the couch, “I think we can figure it out. We’ve got a weird, like really weird, kind of family here. And I, well, I love you and I’m never letting you go again, okay?”

“Okay,” Bucky says. And then he laughs. “Natasha just made me watch the fault in our stars.” Steve frowns.

“Why would she do that to you?” Steve asks genuinely curious. Bucky grins.

“I also wore some makeup so that she could see when I was crying,” Bucky adds.

“We can move out you know,” Steve says as he takes Bucky’s hand and starts walking out their door, to their uncertain future, “I mean it, really if you have to be put through that it might just be best if…” Bucky laughs and lets Steve defend him against Natasha’s evil movie selection.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so. That's done. Next time i'll actual edit, and like. have a beta, i promise. woo. this is weird. okay. im out.


End file.
